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Info Absolution (Summary - List of stories) . The Bitter Sparrow << previous act | Act 2 of 4 | next act >> Contests Between Friends << previous chapter |''' Chapter 18 of 39 | Act 3 >> << previous scene | '''Scene 2 of 2 | next scene >> Summary * Location: *Participants: *Time: *Summary: Text When Antares and Prestige returned to town – Prestige still a little flushed and delighted-looking after spending an hour or so playing with the Phooka foals and acting like a child, something that Antares had never expected to see – they found a strange sight in front of the library, the two young unicorns joining the small crowd that had gathered there. Burning Desire was grinning widely as Sleipnir paced back and forth across from him, vine-maned stallion and fiery demonic unicorn mirroring each other in spite of the fact they looked like physical opposites. The snow had been cleared away in a rough ring they stood inside of, and Antares glanced with interest towards Pinkamena and Twilight as Aphrodisia bounced between her mother and aunt, cheering her father's name loudly. "What's going on?" "They're competing to see who's the bigger macho stud." Pinkamena said mildly, jerking her head with a look of wry amusement at the two large stallions, and Antares and Prestige both gazed back with surprise at the two. "Now, don't get me wrong. I think they're both complete idiots. But complete idiots make for the best entertainment." "Daddy's going to kick his butt." Aphrodisia chirped, and Pinkamena grunted and nodded as Twilight only laughed and shook her head. "Stupid Burning Desire made fun of Daddy's cold, so Daddy didn't have any choice but to challenge him." "Yeah, Sleipnir wagered his mane and tail and promised to be Burning's servant for a week if he loses, and Burning Desire put up some of his statues and a free contract." Pinkamena licked her lips slowly, grinning widely. "Either way, somepony's gonna look real stupid shortly. Either I get a vacation from Sleipnir, or one free wish. Real useful, having a demon like Burning Desire around, especially when he's stupid enough to agree to something like this." Twilight only smiled amusedly at this, however, glancing over at Pinkamena and reminding her: "Yes, but Burning Desire can only do so much even obligated by contract, because he's not a full greed demon." "So what? Sometimes to think big you think small. I could still order him to kick Princess Sunshine in the ass every day at twelve sharp, and he'd be obligated to do that until I stopped finding it funny and told him he could stop." Pinkamena paused, then she added meditatively: "And I would never not find that funny." "Oh Mommy, you're so silly." Aphrodisia giggled, and then she brightened and pointed as Sleipnir and Burning Desire approached one another. The two nodded to each other, and then Burning squawked when Sleipnir grabbed his shoulders and firmly kissed the demon on either cheek. "Why does Daddy do that?" "Because he's a weirdo." Pinkamena muttered, and when Twilight gave her a pointed look even as Aphrodisia nodded seriously, the Gluttony demon rolled her eyes and said finally: "Because Burning Desire's your godfather and Sleipnir respects him, and it's... some old tradition or something, I don't know and don't care. He just likes him a little too much, if you ask me." Aphrodisia giggled at this as Sleipnir and Burning Desire stepped backwards, then both bowed deeply to each other before a grinning Rainbow Dash cheerfully hopped into the center of the arena. Antares looked up in surprise at this, then quickly scanned the crowd before he smiled and waved to Avalon, who was standing with Meadowlark and Applejack in a cluster of ponies on the other side of the square. Big Mac was there, too, with a blue Pegasus that had a dark navy mane leaning a little against the scarlet earth pony with a smile: Soarin', a former Wonderbolt who had his own little place in Ponyville, but spent much of his time out at the Apple Family farm. Then Rainbow Dash cleared his throat before announcing cheerfully: "Ladies and gentlecolts, this is a contest between Flaming Desire-" "Burning Desire, you jerk." the demonic stallion huffed, glaring at Rainbow, who pasted an innocent expression on his face before Burning Desire leaned towards him moodily. "Don't make me seduce your wife." "Are you sure you really want her?" Rainbow asked mildly, and then he winced when a snowball smacked into the back of his head, to the laughter of most of the crowd, as the Pegasus grinned lamely over his shoulder at Applejack. "See, this is what I'm talking about. But okay, this is a contest between Flaming Desire and Slippers..." A pause, but Sleipnir only smiled benevolently at the Pegasus stallion with a childish nod. "To settle their dispute. Something about Slippers' girly sneezes." "They are not girly sneezes!" Sleipnir almost shouted, looking outraged... and then his muzzle wrinkled up before he gave two tiny, squeaking sneezes, and he blushed deep red as Burning Desire cackled and the crowd laughed. "'Tis... 'tis only the calm before the storm!" Rainbow Dash cleared his throat, doing his best to suppress his giggling before he finally looked up and continued with a grin: "But just like me and Applejack once did, and I rocked, we're holding a series of contests to see who is the better pony. Let's see who wins at the end of this ten round contest! And no offense, Flaming, but my money's on Slippers." "None taken." Burning Desire said kindly, and then he flicked his horn when Rainbow Dash turned away, and the Pegasus yelped as a blast of fire singed his tail and rump, leaping forwards and landing heavily on his rear in a snowbank with a wince as steam hissed up around him. The demonic stallion smiled cheerfully, then he grinned over at Sleipnir, leaning forwards and asking easily: "Shall we begin?" Sleipnir grinned, stomping a hoof in excitement before a pony trotted forwards with a rope. "Oh, yes, the tug of war! 'Tis marvelous, it has been so long since I have had the glee of such fun and games... Celestia! Celestia, get out of that stuffy library and come and watch thy little brother soundly crush this fearsome demon!" After a few moments, a curtain drew back and Celestia stuck her head in the window, then only looked moodily at Sleipnir when he stared at her pleadingly before she sighed and said tiredly: "I have to finish drafting these bylaws, Sleipnir. Please try not to make too much of a ruckus, I don't know if I have the time to put Ponyville back together today." With that, she left the window and closed the curtain, and Sleipnir huffed before Burning Desire asked kindly: "Would you like me to set the library on fire?" "Nay, I fear if thou does that Celestia will then set us on fire. And her fire will be much more fearsome than thine own." Sleipnir remarked, and then he gave a tiny little sneeze before shouting in a frustrated voice: "Oh damnation! To the rope! To the tug of war! First I shall defeat thee, and then I shall raid the library!" Burning Desire seemed confident in himself up to the point he picked up the rope; then, with a single tug, Sleipnir yanked the demon through the air and sent him headfirst into a snowbank. The earth pony awkwardly apologized afterwards, but Burning Desire didn't seem to hear as he stumbled around stupidly, looking as if the crash had knocked his brain out of his skull. When the sense finally returned to him, they moved onto the next event: shot-put. Sleipnir had picked up the steel ball with a cheerful grin, tossing it from hoof-to-hoof before leaning back, and Burning Desire had winced... before Sleipnir had given another tiny, awkward sneeze just as he began his throwing motion, and the shot-put had flown out of his hoof and landed beside him. Sleipnir had stared, and Burning Desire had sighed in relief, then grinned and cheerfully picked up his own before throwing it down the street. Twilight had cheered a little despite herself, and Burning Desire had grinned widely at her as Aphrodisia and Pinkamena both glared, the Lich blushing awkwardly and mumbling: "Well, it... it was a nice throw." As Sleipnir and Burning Desire got into position for a short race, Discombobulation had wandered in wearing a green visor and a pair of sunglasses, calmly set down a folding table, and then pulled a cash register and a slew of betting tickets out of nowhere. The Draconequus had quickly started bringing in money as ponies flocked over to place wagers. Demon and enormous earth pony both readied themselves for the race as Pinkie Pie giggled and happily bounced over to stand with her front hooves raised... then she snapped them down, signaling the start, and Sleipnir shot forwards in a rapid sprint... before Burning Desire became a streak of flame that transformed quickly into a firebird, zooming to the end of the street to perch on one of the finish posts. Ponies yelled at the demon as he preened and other ponies cheerfully collected their winnings from Discombobulation, while Sleipnir huffed... but as Burning Desire transformed back into a fiery stallion, his grin was short lived when grappling was announced by Spike as the next contest. The two competing stallions returned to the ring in front of the library, argued for a little while, and finally agreed on the rules while ponies hurried to place bets, and then both readied themselves. During this time, Pinkamena sent Aphrodisia off with Pinkie Pie to Sugar Cube Corners, and the two returned with a large food cart just before the match began. Burning Desire and Sleipnir grappled with each other, the demon wheezing loudly and pushing and flailing against Sleipnir as the enormous earth pony easily kept his balance, laughing cheerfully and shoving back against the demon almost playfully until he finally simply picked him up and dropped him face-first into the ground. Burning Desire yelped... before squeaking when Sleipnir dropped on top of him and pinned him down, wheezing for breath as he flailed wildly before Spike, acting as referee, rose his claw awkwardly and said finally: "You uh. You just had to get him off his hooves, Sleipnir, you technically won about thirty seconds ago." "Oh. I suppose I got lost in the... heat of the moment." Sleipnir remarked cheerfully as he straightened, nodding a few times as Burning Desire wheezed loudly, and then the demon squawked when Sleipnir reached down and set the large, fiery stallion on his hooves as if he were nothing more than a foal, brushing a bit of dirt off him. "'Twas well done, though! Thou did not cry even a little!" Burning Desire only mumbled, then perked up when Spike glanced down at the listing somepony had taken the time to write out, reading awkwardly: "Uh... does that say 'bard?'" "Oh, excellent! Yes, I plan to recite a poem I had writ about my sisters!" Sleipnir said cheerfully, nodding rapidly before he grinned widely across at Burning Desire. "Let's see if thy pretty bird's song can match up to my most delightful of verse!" Burning Desire smiled delightedly in response, rubbing his front hooves together before he said courteously: "Then why don't you go first, Sleipnir, when we're ready, and I'll just do my best to try and follow what I'm sure will be a truly... unforgettable... poem." Sleipnir nodded rapidly, and Pinkamena groaned from the sidelines, rubbing slowly at her face before she looked grumpily down at Aphrodisia, who was giggling a little. "I'm tempted to send you home now." "What? Come on, Mommy, I wanna hear Daddy's poem!" Aphrodisia wheedled, and Antares couldn't help but laugh: some days, even with her adult mare body, it was easy to remember that she was still emotionally only around a decade old. Pinkamena grumbled as ponies chatted curiously with each other, and Twilight winced as Celestia stuck her head out the window again, frowning at the activity. Sleipnir waved brightly at his older sister, and the ivory winged unicorn now looked even more suspicious, but she slowly retreated back into the library after a moment of indecision. Antares cocked his head curiously at the relief he saw on Twilight's face, asking as Prestige frowned: "It can't be that bad, can it?" "It's like you don't know your uncle at all." Twilight said after a moment, and Antares smiled despite himself before the violet Lich shook her head, then glanced up with a wince as Sleipnir loudly cleared his throat. "Oh great. Here we go." Sleipnir smiled benevolently around at the crowd as they fell silent and Discombobulation closed his till, all eyes on him as the stallion gazed back and forth happily... and after a few moments, the earth pony rose his head and recited in a cheerful voice with childlike enthusiasm: .'' ''"My sisters sway the chariots of the sky, '' ''Spinning their spokes in e'erlasting succession, O'er the sacred soil garden of middle-earth, Slicing air-sea's splendid balance in twain." .'' "Well, I have no idea what he just said, but it sounded... nice." Prestige said awkwardly, but Pinkamena only grunted moodily and gestured for them to keep listening as Sleipnir beamed happily around at the group. ''. "Sweet sibling higher shines brighter than what misers hunger for, She stands mighty as Midgard's horns, and is fierce as sky's kings, Failure's bane and victory's most-loved maiden, She makes both swords and stallions sweat and sing her praises; She is limitless, master of all battlefields, bed and war both her slaves: The mightiest warrior is but serf before her, pays tribute in nectar of life and sleep, But her strength is always superior, she makes sport of sovereigns, '' ''Supreme swordmaiden who rides her horses fearlessly into war and milks them of all essence." .'' Sleipnir smiled brightly at the crowd around him, as Aphrodisia began to giggle madly and Pinkamena rubbed slowly at her face, Twilight groaning as Antares turned bright red. "I... did... is he saying that... oh no, he's not going to talk about-" ''. "Shimmering sibling smaller, strong as nature's coyest hunter, She is fellowship's humility and safekeeping of trust; none are so honorable as she! Standing tall and always second to those who are worthy of the shining feast-hall, And always first to set her spear against the shivering cowards of ice; Yet coldest and warmest both, if they are strong, she offers solace and Baldur's gift, Wild and sublime, and all the same first-hon'ring her king, she has her soft petals, But savors the thorns, and sleeps beneath stars with shadow and savior both, She knows not the rules of stallions, but sows her own law." .'' "Oh god. Well, that could have been worse at least." Antares mumbled, wincing a little before he added as Twilight rubbed slowly at her face. "As long as I concentrate a little on not understanding it, I think I'm fine..." And then Sleipnir smiled before declaring jovially: ''. "Yes, I am the luckiest of stallions, protected and loved by shield-bearing sisters, Standing side-by-side with them as sibling brother, helping them in their conquests Upon the gutted soil wet only by sword's rain, where all who stand are equal, if stand they do; Sweet sisters, saviors of my love! Were we not siblings I would sow endless bounty with them, Till their crops, spill seed and showers over fertile fields of their hungry soil. Oh, for what more supreme mares have ever lived? Strong, sensual as dew, sharp as Mimir, Braver than sought souls of the shining hall, free as the sea's breath, Sweet sensual shieldmaidens who make slaves of stallion and mare alike!" .'' All eyes simply stared at Sleipnir as he breathed hard in and out, looking happily back and forth before he frowned a little as the silence simply spun out around him. Then it was punctuated by Burning Desire's giggling, and the titanic earth pony favored the demon with a curious look, asking with interest: "'Twas not a proper rhyming poem for silliness, 'twas a poem in worship of my delightful sisters. Why art thou laughing? Did I speak a verse wrongly?" Burning Desire only continued to giggle for a few moments, and then all eyes looked up as the library door swung open and Celestia stormed out with her eyes locked on Sleipnir. The younger brother only smiled brightly, however, declaring cheerfully: "Sister! Did thou hear me recite the poem I wrote for thee and-" "Unfortunately, yes." Celestia cut him off, leaning moodily over him as Sleipnir winced back a bit, before the Baroness leaned in and asked in a sharp whisper that everypony could hear anyway, even over the giggling of Burning Desire and several other ponies: "How many times do I have to tell you to keep that poem to yourself, Sleipnir? How do you still remember it after a millennium and a half?" "Because I put weeks of effort into that poem!" Sleipnir retorted, looking injured as he leaned back, then he flailed a bit as he argued: "And 'tis a beautiful verse, if I may speak of it so myself! It honors the beauty and valor of Luna, thy wild spirit that canst be tamed by any stallion and-" "It's a poem about how much you wish you could have sex with me and Luna!" Celestia hissed through grit teeth, glaring at Sleipnir, who shrank a little under her baleful gaze and cleared his throat. "'Tis a compliment?" Sleipnir said after a moment, raising a hoof... and when Celestia's eye twitched, he flailed his forelimbs violently and exclaimed: "Oh, cease! Wretched Celestia, what would thou prefer? Shall I speak to thy strength and beauty and fearlessness, or shall I speak some boring poem about how thou art a boring ruler upon thy boring throne doing boring things and being a boring noble? Thou art no boring noble! Thou art Celestia, thou art Freya, and thou wert so delightfully fun sometimes in the old days, like when thou decided to teach Luna and I a lesson in humility and-" Celestia held up a hoof, and Sleipnir stuttered to a stop before she reached slowly out and poked his chest, her eyes glowering down into his. "No more reciting poetry, Sleipnir. Ever. Now please keep it down, I'm trying to work." With that, Celestia turned on her heel and stormed back into the library, slamming the door behind her. Sleipnir huffed at the closed door, then blew a loud raspberry before glowing over at Burning Desire, muttering: "I suppose 'tis thy turn now. Although I am tempted to recite the other poem I wrote about the cruelty of certain mares. And how stuffy they can be." He huffed a little again, and Burning Desire grinned as he leaned in with a wink before flicking his horn: in a blast of flame, an oak violin and a golden bow appeared above his head before the demon reared back and caught both objects in his front hooves, saying cheerfully as he set the violin against his shoulder and Sleipnir stared: "Well, worry not, Sleipnir! This contest was over before it began, although I can't thank you enough for helping it along with your fun little recitation. Now, let me show you why we demons like contests of music." Burning Desire began to tap a rear hoof as he stayed standing on his hind limbs, smiling benevolently before he started to play, filling the air with a sharp, fast melody: already, ponies began to move to the rhythm, and Sleipnir's face slowly puckered as the demon stomped a hoof firmly to the upbeat tune before he threw his head back and began a shanty in a cheery, fast voice: ''. "Oh! I was a pony who lived by the sea, Strong and courageous and honorably, Had me a home and had me a wife, But always felt there was somethin' missin' in life!" .'' The demon spun in a slow circle on one rear hoof, stomping the other firmly as he leaned forwards, making the violin sing and tremble as he belted out and ponies clapped and stomped their own hooves in time: ''. "Oh whoa, hey hey! '' ''What's life if you're bored all day? Hey hey, whoa oh! '' ''Gonna find adventure, time to go!" .'' Burning Desire grinned brightly as he straightened, rear hooves moving in a short, fast kickstep before he danced gleefully over to Sleipnir as he leaned back against the enormous earth pony, who was still looking at him sourly as ponies laughed and continued to clap along. ''. "So one fine day I decided to leave, Knew a new path I had to weave, I kissed my wife and said to her 'goodbye,' And she replied: 'It's about damn time!' .'' ''Oh whoa, hey hey! '' ''What's life if you're bored all day? Hey hey, whoa oh! '' ''Gonna find adventure, time to go! .'' ''So I set sail out over the sea, Felt right away this was the life for me, I made it all the way out of the bay, And I couldn't help but say: .'' ''Oh whoa, hey hey! '' ''What's life if you're bored all day? Hey hey, whoa oh! '' ''Gonna find adventure, time to go! .'' ''It was a great start I have to say, Now if only I'd plotted the way, My travel ended up a little brief, 'Cause I keeled my ship on a coral reef! .'' ''Oh whoa, hey hey! '' ''What's life if you're bored all day? Hey hey, whoa oh! '' ''Gonna find adventure, time to go!" .'' Even Sleipnir couldn't help but laugh now, shaking his head with a smile as he stomped a hoof in easy time with Burning Desire's rapid playing. Ponies were singing and dancing, and Burning Desire was grinning widely as he danced in an easy circle around Sleipnir before winking over at Twilight Sparkle, who blushed a little and gazed back warmly as Antares and Prestige both stomped their hooves and watched the demon with surprise and delight. Then Burning Desire shook his head quickly, before he played a quick flourish and stomped down, bow poised over the violin strings and trembling slightly with his energy as he belted out, the whole crowd halting to look at the demon and listen in the otherwise silence: ''. "So I had to swim back home, and tell my wife, That it looked like I'd be stuck, livin' this life... And do you know what she said to me? She said, 'Maybe you honey, but I'm runnin' free!'" .'' Burning Desire winked, then he leapt backwards, dancing in a gleeful circle like a puppy on his hind legs as he played his violin, and the gathered ponies all joined him for the chorus, belting out the song with him as they stomped their hooves to the rhythm: ''. "Because, oh whoa, hey hey! '' ''What's life if you're bored all day? Hey hey, whoa oh! '' ''Gonna find adventure, time to go! .'' ''Oh whoa, hey hey! '' ''What's life if you're bored all day? Hey hey, whoa oh! '' ''Gonna find adventure, time to go!" . The demon finished with a flourish, then swung his forelegs wide and bowed deep, breathing hard in and out as the crowd yelled and applauded. Sleipnir was laughing loudly, stomping his hooves rapidly before he ran over and threw a companionable foreleg round Burning Desire's neck, who laughed as well and fell against the enormous earth pony as Sleipnir declared: "Oh, what better bard ever there was than thou! I concede with admiration, brother!" Burning Desire laughed again, but he clearly looked delighted as the two turned to each other and shared a tight embrace for a moment, Pinkamena smiling and shaking her head slowly as Aphrodisia all but rolled on the ground with laughter, and Twilight gazed affectionately to the fiery stallion... before there was a loud thud, and the library door swung open, all eyes turning awkwardly to Celestia as she slowly strode outside with a calm, unreadable expression on her face. Burning Desire and Sleipnir both stared at her as she approached them, then looked mildly down at Burning Desire before sitting back and holding up her front hooves, asking calmly: "May I?" The demon awkwardly looked at his violin and bow, then carefully handed them over: Celestia studied them both for a few moments, then she nodded thoughtfully to herself before saying softly: "A very fine instrument. Perfectly maintained..." She carefully set it to her shoulder, then put the bow to it and closed her eyes, playing slowly: at first, the notes sounded drawn out and lethargic, but slowly, she began to build speed, moving with grace and growing energy. All eyes stared, then Burning Desire leaned back as Celestia began to play more complex chords and notes, vibrating the strings and smiling a little to herself as she moved from the expected operatic tunes into something faster, sharper, but folksy, her speed now building at a rising rate... She sawed away at the violin, bow almost a blur as it a cacophonous melody played through the air... and then Burning Desire squeaked as Celestia suddenly drew back with a sharp flourish, and the strings of the violin snapped, all except for one. Celestia regarded this with the same calm smile, and then she simply plucked the string with the bow, and the frayed wire broke with a loud twang. Burning Desire wheezed loudly in and out, staring with horror before Celestia gently pushed the broken violin and bow back into his trembling limbs, saying kindly: "You should probably think about tuning it." Celestia turned and headed back into the library, and Sleipnir scowled as she closed the door before he looked back and forth, then his eyes settled on a discarded shot-put. He immediately swept up the metal sphere, then flung it forwards grouchily... and winced when it shattered a window instead of hitting the door, before there was a loud cry of pain from inside. A moment later, the door was almost slammed off its hinges as Celestia leapt out, glaring furiously and with her teeth bared, a large bruise already forming around one eye. Sleipnir gave a little squeal of fear, then he spun around and sprinted away with a girlish scream: Celestia tore after him a moment later, her usual calm demeanor completely abandoned as she shouted curses and swore at him in another language, electricity sparking through her mane. Burning Desire stared dumbly after this, still cradling his broken violin, and then Discombobulation stood up at his table, waving his metal hand as he called calmly: "Everyone who bet on the contest ending early, come claim your winnings." Rainbow Dash whooped gleefully as he flew quickly towards the gambling table, and Pinkamena groaned and shook her head in disgust, muttering: "Great. Guess that invalidates both sides of the bet... and here I was starting to really hope that Sleipnir was going to be bald for a while. Would have been hilarious to see his shrubs finally pruned." "Oh, we can cut Daddy's mane and tail any time, Mommy." Aphrodisia said kindly as she sat up and smiled warmly at her mother, and Pinkamena sighed, then nodded and rubbed moodily at her chest before the young demon gazed brightly over at Burning Desire, who was now looking both pleased and surprised as ponies clustered around him, congratulating him and talking to him with honest admiration and friendliness. Twilight shook her head slowly, then she smiled softly as she glanced at Antares: he gazed back at her with a smile, as Prestige leaned her head on his shoulder, and then he said quietly: "Go on, Mom. He looks real happy, but... I think he'd be happier if you were over there, too. He's a good person. And he was pretty amazing." He paused, then asked awkwardly: "You don't think. Celestia is going to hurt Sleipnir too badly, do you?" Twilight opened her mouth to reply... then winced and glanced up as there was a rumble like thunder in the distance, all eyes turning towards this as Sleipnir howled before the Lich sighed and dropped her head forwards, mumbling: "Celestia really can be just like Luna sometimes. But no. They're just... they're just uh... playing." "We aren't foals, Twilight." Prestige said after a moment, wincing a little over at the distance as the ponies slowly went back to their conversations, while Avalon and Rainbow Dash were both gleefully sweeping up bags of bits from Discombobulation's gambling table, as the Draconequus calmly swept his own earnings into a large sack: they seemed like the only three who hadn't noticed the tremendous bang. "I'm serious! Celestia and Sleipnir would never hurt each other. Badly. They're siblings." Twilight said finally, and then she shook her head before smiling a little, turning her eyes towards Burning Desire as she murmured: "But excuse me, you two. I think... I'm going to see if Burning Desire wants to go get a little lunch to celebrate his victory." Antares smiled softly, watching as the Lich approached the fiery stallion, who glanced up from were he was chatting with the crowd before he brightened immediately as Twilight approached, gesturing to her quickly, and she laughed as she slipped through the crowd and to his side before smiling softly when he wrapped a foreleg around her. Antares and Prestige gazed at the two, and then the young mare shook her head slowly before smiling a little as she said quietly: "Amazing, Antares. They know it won't last forever... and yet all the same..." The young stallion nodded slowly, glancing over at Prestige softly... and then both unicorns glanced up as Avalon flew towards them, calling gleefully: "Come on, come on! Let's go to Sugar Cube Corners and spend some of these winnings! Then I wanna go out to see Fluttershy!" Antares nodded, then smiled when he glanced up and saw Meadowlark almost shyly approaching as well, lingering on her for a moment before he cleared his throat and said quickly: "Fluttershy was at the Phooka den... hey, let's get enough for everyone, you definitely won enough." "Yeah, yeah, guess I should spread the wealth. But okay, let's go, you guys, come on!" Avalon agreed cheerfully, and Antares and Prestige both smiled before laughing as Aphrodisia joined them and Meadowlark beamed, before the five friends turned to hurry down the street, together. Category:Transcript Category:Story